It looks like my posts have pushed the NEW Low Buck Vintage Riders Antique Snowmobile Snow poster off of the page. Here it is again. This year it is being held at the Middle Inlet Fire Dept at Hwy 141 and Hwy X. For years it was at the Gateway Bar in Crivitz. This year it moved a couple of miles north.

Some of us long time visitors remember when it was held at the Ranger City Riders Clubhouse in Amberg.

Deer hunting came early this year due to the way that the calendar fell. That will leave us a bit of a quiet stretch between gun hunting and 12-1 when the trails in Michigan can open. Around here most trails open 12-15 or later, and some don’t open until January in areas that are hunted. That puts me at 24 days to legal trails.

Today’s travels took me from Silver Cliff to Lakewood, Townsend, and Carter. There was only patchy snow here and there where the plow left piles. Around Carter the more dense woods held more patchy snow, almost enough to cover the ground. Waubee Lake was frozen over except right by the shoreline between the Beach Club and Waubee Lodge. The little bit of Townsend Flowage that I could see from 32 just north of town was also frozen across. Based on our weather it probably isn’t much ice, but it is all of the way across.

When I was working in the dirt last week near Crivitz the ground was not frozen, but it seems pretty hard here at the house. It isn’t a deep frost but it is a start.

Looking ahead at the weather I do not see any big storms in the next couple of weeks. There are warm and cold stretches, some potential weather makers, but nothing big and obvious. That is fine with me, you know that I would prefer some frost in the ground before the snow comes.

Having some frost in the ground is going to be really important this year with all of the wet weather that we have had. Normally the Peshtigo River is running a little under 300Cfs, about a zero on the bridge gauge. This week it made it up to about 550cfs, about a +7″ on the gauge. All of our watersheds are holding a lot of water, so those swampy areas are a lot fuller than normal. It would be good to freeze those areas up so that we aren’t doing watercross on sleds and burying groomers in the mud.

Right now I am really not concerned about how winter will work out as far as good snow, I am comfortable that it will. Right now I am mostly terrified of not being ready for it. Last weekend was the first weekend since the beginning of October that it didn’t rain. Combine that with a busy fall and the sun setting at 4:15 and I am way behind in my pre-winter chores. I always am behind, but this winter it is a lot worse than usual because of the lost weekends. I am sure that I am not alone there. We will get there we always do.

Once deer hunting is over I will shutter up the NorthernDestinations blog and focus on this a little more.

A quick reminder.. you will want to start the trail pass process to save money on trail passes. The best way is to join a club, get the magic number and get your trail pass from the AWSC for $10. This will save people with multiple sleds and out of state registrations some money.

The catch here is that none of this is instant. It takes time to get your club membership verified and get the magic AWSC number to get the discount. Most clubs are run by volunteers and especially the secretaries have plenty to do with the holidays and the beginning of the season. The AWSC part takes time too. Now would be a good time to start.

Wisconsin snowmobile trail pass for club members ($10) – for a snowmobile registered in Wisconsin and owned by a person who is a member of a snowmobile club which is affiliated with AWSC. Passes may be ordered through the AWSC website or their office in DeForest. Trail passes are delivered by US mail. A temporary trail use receipt is issued to operate legally on snowmobile trails. Carry the receipt with you until your pass is delivered by US mail and affixed to your snowmobile’s windshield. Please visit www.awsc.org for more details.

Wisconsin snowmobile trail pass ($30) – for a snowmobile registered in Wisconsin. Available online, or at any DNR sales agent. All Wisconsin snowmobile trail passes will be shipped by US Mail within 2 business days to the address specified. A temporary trail use receipt is issued to operate legally on snowmobile trails. Carry the receipt with you until your pass is delivered by the US mail and affixed to your snowmobile’s windshield.

Nonresident snowmobile trail pass ($50) – for a snowmobile registered in or in the process of being registered in another state, province or country. Available online, or at sales agent. All Wisconsin snowmobile trail passes will be shipped by US Mail within 2 business days to the address specified. A temporary trail use receipt is issued to operate legally on snowmobile trails. Carry the receipt with you until your pass is delivered by the U.S. Mail and affixed to your snowmobile’s windshield.

Non-residents can save money by registering the sleds in WI as well as out of state. Registering the sled is $30 for 3 years. http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/forms/9400/9400-210.pdf

A lot of the money from this new program ends up in the hands of the clubs and increases their membership numbers for more political clout. It is a pain, but it benefits the sport.

It is just about time for me to run along. Have a good week and thank you for visiting!

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